Lifestyle

Nice Try, Republicans, But We Own 'Snowflake' Now

by Samantha Angoletta
democrats own snowflake
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If I see another comment calling someone a “special snowflake” and mocking their “safe space” again, my eyes might get permanently stuck in the back of my head.

To be fair, I much prefer the “snowflake” insult to the grossly offensive, but oh-so-popular term “libtard.” You’re better than that, at least. No need to bring even more ableism into this; we’ve already got a president who mocks differently abled individuals, and the completely inexperienced and entirely out-of-touch secretary of education who has no working knowledge of IDEA, legislation which seeks to protect students who have different needs, and then there’s our newly appointed attorney general who alluded to the fact that special education laws led to “the decline in civility and discipline in classrooms all over America.”

So we are all very clear how the GOP feels about anyone they view to be outside their very narrow scope of “the norm,” which means there is absolutely no need whatsoever for you to further insult/mock the special needs/disability community with the term “libtard.”

Now you’ve coined the phrase “snowflake,” and you think it is a gigantic insult for those of us who believe in all those horrible atrocities like separation of church and state, equal rights, a woman’s right to bodily autonomy, freedom of religion, universal healthcare, environmental protections, and the right to a quality education. I mean, we must just be weak and fragile and completely devoid of intellect to promote such a baseless agenda. We are more vulnerable than a flake of snow, right?

Wrong, sucka.

Do you know what snowflakes do? They freaking come together and form an avalanche.

Now, I know Republicans are not big fans of discussing anything related to climate, but we all know what an avalanche is capable of. It’s sort of like when a bunch of people come together from all over the world to march in solidarity for human rights. Or when they all head to their nearest airport to demand justice for refugees and Muslims who are being illegally detained by our government.

Avalanches come through. Avalanches disrupt. Avalanches can’t be held back.

If you take on an avalanche, guess who wins? The snowflakes. All the snowflakes. Like Sara Raasch states in Snow Like Ashes, “Even the strongest blizzards start with a single snowflake.”

So, we see where you wanted this whole “snowflake” thing to go, and you get an A for effort, but you’re not hurting our feelings. We reject your insult. We will wear this label. We are snowflakes. We are strong, passionate, and ready to resist. We want clean air, equal rights, affordable healthcare, a woman’s right to autonomy, and an inclusive, quality education for all children. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

So gear up, because you’re in for a long winter.